The room fell silent for a moment, until Yuji Itadori broke it. "So, that special-grade cursed spirit, Jogo—is he still alive and joining this operation?"
"I don't know if Jogo's coming, but other special-grades definitely are. No idea how many. Point is, everyone needs to be on guard," Hayashi said. He had to warn his classmates ahead of time, or things could get messy.
A preemptive heads-up.
"Does Gojo Satoru know about this?" Maki asked, her tone dead serious.
"He might already be in the loop," Hayashi replied casually. Gojo was here, and so was he.
If things got so bad even Hayashi couldn't handle it, Gojo could step in. No big deal.
No need to sweat it—just no clue how many "players" Mahito's crew was bringing.
"No 'might' about it. If what you're saying is legit, we have to notify both schools," Maki decided instantly. But the news was so wild—if it was off, the fallout would be brutal.
Kyoto School, from the principal down to the students, wasn't exactly a forgiving bunch.
Hayashi darted over, grabbing Maki's arm. "Don't. If you spill now, those cursed spirits will catch on. They'll sense the shift. I want to use this chance to take out some of their muscle."
"Hayashi, let go," Maki said, staring at the hand on her arm, pushing her glasses up with the other.
"Sorry. Just pretend nothing's up, alright?" Hayashi released her. Gripping her arm, though—he'd felt it. Pure sinew.
Not your average woman's build.
"Hayashi, you mean you want to fight them head-on?" Panda caught his drift, sounding stunned.
"Cod roe," Toge Inumaki muttered, picking up the dangerous vibe.
Fushiguro couldn't figure Hayashi out. The guy was barely at school—sure, he came back most days, but he was out all the time, only occasionally sparring with them.
Hayashi was the enigma of the group. They didn't pry much, and even if they did, he wouldn't say much.
Dropping this bombshell now? It demanded extra thought.
"I've got a decent handle on it. Trust me—I wouldn't gamble with your lives. If I didn't believe in you all, I wouldn't have said any of this," Hayashi said, patting his masked face, eyeing them. "I see you as friends—family. That's why I'm warning you. I don't want anyone hurt or worse. So, just follow my lead."
"I don't think Hayashi's lying," Nobara said, pursing her lips, glancing around.
"Get closer," Maki stepped forward, waving everyone in.
Kyoto School side.
Meeting.
The group stood around Principal Gakuganji Yoshinobu, listening.
Gakuganji's aged eyes scanned them, sharp as ever. "Kill Sukuna's vessel, Yuji Itadori. He's not human—no repercussions. It'll be ruled an accident. No hesitation, no mercy."
Mai didn't even pause. "That's not realistic. If he's guarded, we've got no shot."
Gakuganji replied coolly, "They can't protect him. Unless you're weaker than Tokyo School—which is unlikely."
"Uh…" Miwa hesitated, unsure if she should speak, then clammed up.
Thinking it over, she flashed back to Hayashi shattering Todo Aoi's hand with one punch, then fixing it with some weird technique.
A first-year like that? She couldn't touch him. Even here, it'd take two or three of them to pin him down.
"No clue how he even exists…" Miwa mused silently. Beyond Gojo, Hayashi might just pique her interest.
But she was Miwa, the follower, after all~
Mai caught Miwa's almost-comment and spoke up. "We were set to win, but Tokyo's got an outlier…"
"Mai!"
Before she finished, Todo Aoi cut her off, his glare screaming warning.
"I get it," Mai said, throwing Todo a helpless look. What was his deal, so hung up on Hayashi?
"Something wrong?" Gakuganji sensed the tension. It revolved around that first-year, Hayashi.
"I don't know much, but I'll say this: Hayashi's dangerous," Mai said, then shut up.
Who was she?
She didn't bow easy—unless someone blew past her expectations. Hayashi? He soared above them.
Plain and simple: a first-year, sure, but with strength to graduate already.
Noritoshi Kamo, Nishimiya, and Mechamaru turned to Mai.
They hadn't dug into Hayashi much—just knew he was a first-year.
Tokyo School didn't have a ton on him either, and Kyoto knew even less.
They'd focused on Fushiguro and that fiery Nobara—Fushiguro especially, they'd studied.
Maki and the second-years? Old news.
Hayashi alone? Unknown—and beneath their notice.
Until now.
Mai's words flipped the script: Hayashi wasn't simple.
"Doesn't matter what Hayashi's deal is. Yuji Itadori dies. I won't repeat myself—you know what to do," Gakuganji said, mulling over digging into Hayashi more.
Hayashi was human, not a vessel. Strong was good for jujutsu—he didn't mind climbers. But not too strong.
"Old man, hate to say it, but get real. Tokyo's got one more than us. Sure, we've got more upperclassmen—could give 'em one—but this boring crap? I'm out. Have fun," Todo Aoi said, yanking the door open and storming out.
"Get back here, Todo," Noritoshi called, turning. "The principal's not done."
Todo spun around. "Eleven o'clock—Takada's guest-starring on a walking show. Need more explanation?"
Noritoshi figured it was something else. "Record it. Come back."
Todo's glare sharpened, locking onto Noritoshi. "Live and recorded—I'm watching both! You mocking me?!"
The room tensed.
Mai's face froze, awkwardly stepping in. "That's the priority?"
Todo ignored her, scanning the group. "You lot with no taste in women disappointed me ages ago. Schemes, tactics—whatever. Next time you order me around, I'll gut you!"
With that, he bailed. He'd drag Hayashi to watch Takada's guest spot—last time, Hayashi joined him for her handshake event too.
Men should watch what men should watch, not mess with petty games here.
Lame as hell, plotting to kill Yuji Itadori. With Hayashi around, good luck pulling that off.
Kyoto School'd be lucky not to get wiped instead.
That jogged a memory—back in China, Hayashi smashing that bald curse user with a thunder-charged strike. Who could block that?